Trump criticised after condemning London terrorism immediately despite waiting days 'for the facts' on Charlottesville

Donald Trump is being criticised for what some see as an uneven response to tragedy.

After the explosion at Parsons Green underground station in London, Mr Trump used the opportunity to denounce terrorism, and to argue that his controversial travel ban should be lengthened. All of that was in the hours after the attack, and in the midst of an investigation on the ground.

The President may have been eager to get his message out after the explosion, but some have noted that his quick response contrasts with his response to the Charlottesville attack. When a white nationalist rammed a car through a group of peaceful protesters there, Mr Trump took days to denounce white supremacy saying that he wanted to have a clear picture of what happened. When an explosion rocked London’s Tube, the President didn’t show the same restraint.

“Trump's willingness to jump to conclusions about the London incident stands in stark contrast to his defence of his unwillingness to fully condemn the white supremacists and neo-Nazis behind the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month,” CNN’s Chris Cilizza wrote.

The President’s response to the violence in Charlottesville has been the source of a fair amount of contention.

On the day of the attack, the President issued a statement denouncing bigotry and violence “on all sides”. Then, two days later, Mr Trump denounced white supremacy after sustained and repeated calls to do so. Just a day later, however, he gave an impromptu press conference, and returned to denouncing what he saw as violence from multiple fronts in Charlottesville — and in so doing appeared to claim a moral equivalence between the white supremacist who killed Heather Heyer with his car, and left-wing protesters (some of whom were reportedly aggressive, though none were lethal).

Throughout that time, Mr Trump said he wanted to make sure he had all of the facts surrounding the attack, for fear of speaking out without knowledge of what he was talking about.

But, that does not appear to be a concern when it comes to the explosion in London (or when it comes to other attacks during his presidency, when he also spoke out speedily). The President spoke out so fast that Prime Minister Theresa May said his statements were unhelpful, and that the investigation was ongoing.